Church urges followers to drop the Mormon name

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is urging its followers to drop the use of the word “Mormon” to refer to the church or its members, according to new directives issued by its leader. Church president Russell Nelson, who has been visiting congregations in North America to explain the move, said Saturday in Montreal: “we’re not changing names. “The Book of Mormon” is the religion’s sacred text, and the name Mormon has been used to identify the church since it was established in 1830, although initially by outsiders as a derogatory term.